Hand tool for loosening and forcing tire beads into rim centers



Sept. 13, 1949.

B. o. LUTON 9 9 HAND TOOL FOR LOOSENING AND FORCING TIRE BEADS INTO RIM CENTERS Filed Sept. 25, 1946 wwm/rm rad/6y 0; Au/w? 52/ W M Patented Sept. 13 1949 "HAND TOOL FOR -LOOSENING A'ND: FORC- ING-TI RE BEA'DS INTO RIM CENTERS, 1

I v Bradley 0'. Luton, Tacoma, Wash. I A Application September 23, 1946', Serial No. 698,783

This invention relates. to object of this invention is to provide. a simple and efficient. tire tool that will: facilitate loosening the bead portions'oi a tire on. adrop center rim and pushing these bead portions inwardly into the depressed center ofthe rim without removing the rim or wheel from the vehicle on which the tire is mounted.

When pneumatic tires are used on drop center rims the bead portions of the tireswill often bind so tightly on the marginal portions of the rims that it is di'fii'cult to loosen these bead portions andmove them inwardly into the drop center part of the rim to allow the tire to be removed; It is. common vpractice to remove the rim or wheel from the vehicle before removing a tire from a drop center rim. This removal. of the rim or wheel from the vehicle and subsequent removal of the tire from the rim takes considerable time and requires considerable labor.

It is an object of this invention to provide a tool that can be used to quickly and easily loosen a tire on a drop center rim by jacking up a wheel of a vehicle and applying the tool, thus permitting a tire to be easil removed from a rim without taking the rim off of the vehicle.

It is another object of this invention to provide a tire tool of this nature that is simple and durable in construction, not expensive to manufacture and relatively easy to operate.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a tire tool comprising a handle member in the form of a lever arm, a tire bead engaging member carried by the inner end portion of said lever arm, and a hook shaped arch member pivotally connected with said lever arm and adapted to extend over and around a tire and engage with a rim and serve as a fulcrum member for the lever arm.

Other objects of this invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a back edge view of a tire tool constructed in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the same, with parts broken away and parts shown in section.

Fig. 3 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation showing this tire tool in an operative position as it may appear when in use for loosening a tire on a drop center rim.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view partly in section and partly in elevation on a larger scale than the other views showing the manner of mounting a tire bead engaging member on a lever arm,

1 Claim. 1 (c1. ran-1.26)

a tire tooluan'dan Like referencenumerals designate like parts throughout the several views.

This tool comprises a lever arm or ii ndie preferably about two feet long and formedof a fiat pieceofmetal bent double. The two sides of the lever arm orhandle fi are spaced apartgand have spacer members 6 and] interpose the tween .andpreferably weldedthereto. A tire bead engagingmemben,QpreferabIy of-T shape,.is connected by a pivot 9 withan end portion of the handle. member 5. Preferably the pivoted end portion of the T-shaped tire bead engaging member 8 has a flattened foot portion III that is adapted to engage with;and, bump against'th'e adjacent fixed spacer"inerrlber;6 The foot portion I0 and spacer member; 6 cooperate'to position the T member Band to limit the angular movement of said T member 8. Preferably the T member 8 has an angular movement of from five to ten degrees and said T member extends generally at an angle of about forty-five degrees from the lever arm or handle 5.

The outer end or cross arm portion of the T member 8 tapers to a blunt edge II that is sharp enough to Wedge between a tire I5 and a rim I6 and blunt enough so that there will be no danger that it will out the bead portion of a tire. Preferably the outer end portion of the T member 8 is curved to conform to the peripheral curvature of a rim I6.

A relatively strong hook shaped arch member or fulcrum member I2 is provided with a flange I3 that is connected by a pivot member I4 with the handle 5, a short distance to the rear of the pivot member 9. In practice I find it satisfactory to space the pivot members 9 and I4 about three inches apart. The arch member I2 may be of T-shaped cross section as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

The arch member I2 is adapted to hook over and around a tire I5 that is to be removed from a drop center rim I6 and the end portion of said arch member has an L-shaped notch I'I adapted to fit over and engage with the edge portion of the rim I6.

The arch member I2 is strong and substantial and is used as a fulcrum member for the handle or lever 5. The inside clearance between the two extremities of this arch member is preferably about seven inches. With an arch member shaped as shown and having this clearance I find that this tool can be successfully used on tires ranging in size from three and one-half to seven and one-half inches in diameter.

In the operation of this tire tool in loosening a drop center tire on a rim the tire to be central portion of the rim Hi to the position shown in Fig. 3. This is done by using the handle 5 as a lever with the pivot l4 "acting" as 'a. fulposite side of the rim I6 by the arch member l2. The limited angular movement allowed to the crum, said pivot being supported from the op- T member 8, by the flat foot portion ll] and the fixed spacer 6, provides sufficient self adjust; ment of the T member 8 to insure proper operation and always holds this T member 8 in a correct-position for quick and easy application to a tire. i

- The tool is 'reversible on tires and can be used for pushing the tire bead inwardly on one side for as much of the distance around the rim 'asfis' desired and then applied in the same man 'ner'to the other side'of the tire.

The foregoing description clearly discloses a preferredembodiment of my invention but it will be understood that changesin thesame can be made within the scope and spirit of the following claim.

' I claim:

A tool for use in removing pneumatic tires from-drop center rims comprising an arch memb eradapted to extend over and partially around the outside of' a pneumatic tire and to have one 4 portion thereof positioned in engagement with the marginal portion of a rim on which the tire is mounted; a lever arm fulcrumed intermediate its ends on the other end portion of said arch member, said lever arm having a forked inner end portion provided with a solid wall adapted to form a stop; a tire bead thrust member hav-' ing one end portion positioned in the forked end portion of said lever arm; transversepivot means extending through said forked" end portion of said lever arm and the end portion of said thrust 'member therein pivotally connecting said lever,

arm and said tirebead thrust member; a stop member on-the pivoted end portion of said tire bead thrust member positioned to engage with said solid wall of said lever arm to limit to a small angle the swinging movement of said the bead thrust member relative to said lever arm and to support said tire bead thrust member in a position inclined away from the axis of said lever armand toward said arch member; and a cross member on the end portion of said tire bead thrust member remote fromsaid pivot means adapted to engage with the bead portion ofa BRADLEY O. LUTON.=

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

7 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name I Date, 840,207 Glickert et al; Jan. 1, 1907' 933,106 Owens Sept. 7, 1909 1,001,670 Morris Q .1 Aug. 29, 1911 1,317,143

Peterson et'al Sept. 23, 1919 

